Tribeca Film Festival Winners: ‘Keep The Change’, ‘Bobbi Jene’ Tops

The Tribeca Film Festival has awarded Rachel Israel’s Keep the Change as this year’s Best Narrative Feature, and Israel also took the Best New Narrative Director honor as the festival unveiled its winners this evening.

All five of this year’s feature category winners are from female directors including Best International Narrative Feature Son of Sofia, the Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award for A Suitable Girl and Best Documentary Feature Bobbi Jene.

Tribeca Film Festival

The docu follows dancer Bobbi Jene Smith returning to the U.S. after starring for the famous Israeli dance company Batsheva. The Elvira Lind-helmed docu also won the cinematography and editing prize in the Documentary competition.

Keep the Change tells the story of a burgeoning romance between two New Yorkers who meet at a community for adults on the autism spectrum. Writer-director Israel also received a Special Jury Mention for the fest’s Nora Ephron Prize, which this year went to The Divine Order writer-director Petra Volpe.

Iranian director Kaveh Mazaheri won the Best Narrative short honor for Retouch, but had to accept the award via video after being denied a U.S. visa.

“This is a pity that I am not among you tonight and cannot talk to you in person,” he said in a video statement. “The reason that I am not there is because of Mr. Trump’s fascinating decisions, and as the least consequence, I and my crew couldn’t get U.S. visa and now I have to talk to you via this video. I am delighted that the first Tribeca award for an Iranian short film is awarded to my film. I am pleased and humbled to accept this award. I would like to honorably present it to all immigrants around the world who are struggling for a better life.”

Here is the full list of winners:

U.S. NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

Founders Award for Best Narrative FeatureKeep The Change, written and directed by Rachel Israel

Best Actor in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film
Alessandro Nivola in One Percent More Humid

Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film
Nadia Alexander in Blame

Best Cinematography in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film
Chris Teague for Love After Love

Best Screenplay in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film
Abundant Acreage Available written by Angus MacLachlan

INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

Best International Narrative Feature
Son of Sofia written and directed by Elina Psykou (Greece, Bulgaria, France)

Best Actor in an International Narrative Feature Film
Guillermo Pfening in Nobody’s Watching (Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, USA, Spain)

Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature Film
Marie Leuenberger in The Divine Order (Switzerland)

Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature Film
Mart Taniel for November (Estonia, Netherlands, Poland)

Best Screenplay in an International Narrative Feature Film
Ice Mother written by Bohdan Sláma (Slovakia, France)